Compressed air power supply/rechargeable battery pack

Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Wind – solar – thermal – or fuel-cell source

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C320S104000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06236185

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to power supplies/battery packs and more particularly to a compressed air powered power supply/self-charging battery pack for use in a railroad End of Train (EOT) unit or other electrical products where suitable compressed air is available.
2. Description of the Related Art
Within the railroad industry, End-of-Train (EOT) units coupled to the last car of a train are extensively used to monitor operating characteristics of the train. Information is typically transmitted to equipment, usually located in the locomotive, where it is processed and used for operation of the train.
Conventional EOT devices are currently powered by replaceable rechargeable battery cells, such as for example Nickel/Cadmium or sealed lead acid batteries.
FIG. 1
illustrates in block diagram form a railroad train
10
with an EOT unit
12
. Train
10
includes a locomotive unit
14
. An air brake pipe
26
extends through cars
18
to the EOT unit
12
. EOT unit
12
monitors the pressure in the air brake pipe
26
via transducer
28
and transmits this information, as well as other information, via transmitter
24
to locomotive unit
14
. Battery pack
20
provides power for the EOT unit
12
.
There are problems, however, with the use of battery cells, such as battery pack
20
, in EOT units. Typically, when the battery cells become discharged, the EOT unit is rendered inoperable until the battery cells are replaced by charged cells, or are recharged by connection to an external power source. In some instances, the battery cells may have to be replaced or recharged in remote places, requiring the railroad to have batteries or battery chargers located throughout the railroad. The resulting down time of the EOT unit results in increased cost of operation for the railroad.
Thus, there exists a need for a power supply for use in an EOT unit that requires minimal maintenance and can provide continuous operation, thereby reducing EOT down time and increasing efficiency of the railroad.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the problems associated with the prior art and provides a continuously self-charging battery pack/power supply that operates from air pressure available in a train's air system.
In accordance with the present invention, an electrical generator is driven by compressed air from the locomotive air compressor and transmitted via the air brake system of the train. The generated electricity is input to a circuit card assembly that regulates the output voltage and generator speed. The regulated voltage is supplied to the EOT electronics and also to a storage battery to recharge the storage battery, which provides peak operating power as well as back-up power if the generating system is inoperable.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4344138 (1982-08-01), Frasier
patent: 5267473 (1993-12-01), Bezos et al.
patent: 5796240 (1998-08-01), Saito et al.
patent: 6005372 (1999-12-01), Kouwa et al.
patent: 6054838 (2000-04-01), Tsatsis

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